I discovered your channel while scrolling the other day, and I’m really glad I stopped to watch. Your presentation is very calm, collected, and inviting. It feels as if you’re talking to a friend about a hobby we both enjoy. You have quickly become my favorite watch UA-camr!
That's until you realise he's hypnotised you into spending all your money on watches you must have in your collection! He could be secretly hired by the Swiss watch industry to sweet talk viewers
I love your content so much, no nonsense edits, no stupid intros. Straight to the topic, lots of information and whats most important is that your delivery is always great. I don’t know if it’s your voice, tone or mix of the two but it’s so easy to listen to you go on about watches.
Citizen for their eco-drive quartz watches. Great time-keeping, no batteries to change. Lots of designs to choose from. I picked up a Certina dive watch and genuinely love it (Bit more than $1K as it is limited edition). There are a lot of great divers and other watches in their catalogue if you want to go the Swatch conglomerate route.
One flaw of Citizen for me is their sizing. They have hardly any sub 40mm watches available. I have a rather slim wrist, and I would love to see more watches around 38 mm.
Don't forget about their JDM models. The NB1050 and 1060 models are stunning. I think there's already a couple of videos saying the 1060-12L is their choice for best watch under $1000.
@@Mike.thiswatchthatwatch Citizen should bring back the discontinued Eco Drive BN000-04H. perfect size, it would probably be popular these days that people are again in smaller watches. It is much more wearable and appealing than the BN0150 series that came after. The Citizen ana digi JP series Aqualand is pretty nice too.
I have Certina ds dive watch, black one with ceramic bezel, powermatic, 300m. Wearing it daily to outdoors on nano strap. For me they are indestructible, zero scratches and legible
I just got a Hamilton Jazzmaster day/date black dial two days ago and am already in love with it. Sub $1,000, elegant dressy sport mid-century aesthetic were my search parameters and this checked every box as my new daily. I certainly get the appeal of the Murph, but going that route, I'd rather spend a little more for a Hanhart with better specs and finishing. My only "complaint" about the JM is the unavoidable butterfly clasp bracelet, but this one happened to fit me nicely. I'll likely get a leather strap in the future. Great video once again, thank you!
I have a 'regular' (?) 34mm ( small enough not to see the numbered bezel ( why?) Jazzmaster. Where the bracelet links are polished amazes me for tye price- I got a decent discount.
My advice? Wait for the sales. Here in the UK, there are huge discounts on watches practically every couple of months. It’s pretty funny-there’s always a ‘Mid-Season Sale,’ ‘End of Season Sale,’ ‘Spring Sale,’ ‘Boxing Day,’ you name it! Discounts can go up to 40%, even on brands like Longines, Oris, and Baume & Mercier. Even Omega and IWC get price cuts at ADs sometimes. Honestly, it stings to see a watch you just bought go on sale right after, so I’ve learned to hold off and wait for those deals.
Too bad they're as bland as pea soup. I owned an ocean star, I believe, several years ago and got bored with it rather quickly. They are very high quality, though; fun fact: in some countries (I can't recall which ones, exactly), they're considered to be Rolex level luxury.
Definitely agree. I have the Adamascus AD8 and absolutely love it. Incredible quality and their rubber straps are super comfortable. Very underrated brand. People most like haven't heard of it or don't look into it because they are from Thailand
Wise is unbelievably good and estheticaly pleasing. Since I got myself the Adamascus GMT, I’ve never worn any of my other watches, be it IWC, Breitling, Panerai, Blancpain or Rolex.
Another great video Mike. I got my Traska for $720. Your description of a micro brand fits them to a T… A very focused catalogue with 4 watches, each with 4 dial options… they have refined each design over each production batch. They use Miyota movements. Their ‘thing’… hardening the stainless steel to 1200 HV on the Vickers scale effectively makes them unscratchable… Mail order only. I think some very nice, simple watches that are toolish but that you could get away with wearing with s suit.
I agree Mike. I do not understand buying fake watches with so many micro and macro brands offering decent watches within the $500.00-$800.00 dollar range. I'm going to cheat a little and mention Hanhart watches. They have models right above a grand that punch above their weight class. Anyway, your channel is growing because you are listening to your audience about topics they want covered. Good man!!
I don't wear watches, I'll never buy one, yet I love this channel and the passion that goes behind the watch enthusiasts. I love to learn about it and hopefully one day will become a more watch nerd than my rich friends who own expensive watches and probably don't know shit about them
It’s not the watch knowledge Olympics. Some industry grey beards in Geneva are always going to be the heavyweight ring kings. What I don’t know about watch design would fit in the Grand Canyon, and that’s fine. It’s a fun hobby and I just like the things. At the end of the day that’s what matters.
porons always put down rich people and their choices. You wouldn't be a poron if you made the right choices so why cast aspirations on others to raise your self esteem. Editor's note: It doesn't work.
Mido ocean star tribute and Certina titanium 38 are my absolute favorites in the sub 1000 diver categories. I also have a seiko diver (of cource) for sub 350. Can never go wrong with these imo
Tissot are hard to beat. You're getting a Swiss made watch from a good brand. The Gentleman is a very good "all rounder". I prefer Orient to Seiko (Orient Star if you can afford it).
I love Vario. Small Singaporean company. Excellent customer service. Watches are mostly sub $600USD for automatic and usually less for quartz. Japanese movements with decent specs. I have a Versa dual time with two independent quartz movements and an automatic Empire true GMT with art Deco dial with Miyota 9075 under $700. All watches are small batch and limited. Shipping is very quick.
Thanks Mike. Great channel and as mentioned by many others your knowledge, opinions, and calm delivery are greatly greatly appreciated. I recently purchased several sub $1000 watches by Certina, rather than one Tudor, as I found the quality very good and the heritage designs distinctive and a good size for my 8 inch wrist. In the end I bought PH200M heritage, PH200M blue, PH500M STC, PH1000M STC, plus an Action Diver 43 in blue. Very happy with all and the decision made to dump the single Tudor.
The Tissot Visodate Heritage automatic day-date is a beautiful everyday watch. My brother bought me a white dial model for my birthday about 10 years ago, and it has been a great watch for me. Today I own MANY watches, but the Visodate has a special place in my heart because it's the first watch I ever owned ... an uncle gifted me one sometime in the mid-1960s for some occasion or other when I was about 7 years old. I don't know what happened to it, but I have loved wristwatches since that time.
Tons of options in this price range. Starting with well known brands like Casio, Orient, Citizen, Seiko, Tissot, Junghans and Bulova to some great microbrands like Zelos, Christopher Ward, Farer, Squale, Nivada Grenchen, Isotope, Unimatic, Direnzo, Boldr, Baltic, Circula, Furlan Marri, Henry Archer, Maen, Wise and more.
One has to spend some time studying brands and their offerings to know what to get. I give an example, for instance Glycine is inside a conglomerate. It's owned by Invicta. Now Invicta doesn't appeal to me. But Glycine does . Fortunately Invicta doesn't interfere with the models Glycine chooses to produce. Invicta gave Glycine the economic means they needed to survive. That was providential for this historic name didn't collapse. In the long catalogue of Glycine there are very interesting propositions and historic watches as the Airman for instance. Well made watches with solid sellita or ETA movements and a lot of history, classic timepieces under 900 Euros. This is an example of many. When one digs and starts looking there's plenty of options. Fantastic episode Mike. Thanks. Cheers.
This Feb I spent 675€ on a Longines Conquest VHP GMT. It is so good that I have to consciously rotate from my other watches to give them some wrist time. Excellent bracelet, beautiful finish, accuracy of 0/+5 seconds a YEAR! And the most practical GMT function - lets me switch travel and home time zones with 2 crown pushes. Yes, it is a Quartz but Quartz has its convenience and this watch is crisply accurate and a handsome piece that is ready to go with a Formal Shirt and on a T Shirt Jeans day too. Hour Passion sells Conquest Automatic (with the Arrow shaped crown guards, discontinued) model for sub-1000: Brand New. And once one wears something of this quality, there is no going down. I stopped buying watches after my Longines cuz nothing is that good value in the sub-1000 range and cuz I am now waiting to spend straight on a Seamaster 300M.
Seiko Baby Alpinist is the bomb for those who want a field watch but without any additional compass. Also, there are a few Christopher Ward models that are sub-1k provided you pick the rubber/leather strap option
I am very happy with mine. It's a good "no frills" watch for outdoors when you do not want to wear a diver. But it has 200 meters water resistance anyways.
I got a Steinhart Ocean One blue Rolex Submariner homage with a Selita SW300 elabore movement and a transparent caseback. 300m water resistant, the bracelet is extraordinary, the dial looks great, the bezel has almost no play and is super crisp. And it's been running at +3s/day. Edit: $600 USD, Swiss made, German company
My gateway watch was a Stowa Marine Automatic, ten years ago. For a long time, it was the only watch I had. The collection is a bit bigger now but the Marine is still in the rotation and it keeps good time.
Great video, Mike! There are so many sub-1000 models that I feel are bangs for the buck, but I'd say the following are my favorites: 1. Lorier: Astra, Neptune, and Falcon. 2. Dan Henry: 1937, 1945, and 1964. 3. The Laco Flieger model A. 4.The Tissot PRX. 5. Maen Manhatan 37. 6. Nodus Sector Sport. 7. Hamilton Khaki Field. 8. The Bulova Mil-ships. 9. The Casio Gshock stealth.
Thank you Mike, your bias is very much appreciated. My Seiko JDM Alpinist blue was about $500 and is my daily wearer. It’s well designed, robust, and keeps decent time. I have the Marathon Navigator quartz, my Army Officer relative got that for me on-base for about $200 and I enjoy the tool qualities. Gallet make the Marathon pieces so you can’t go wrong. I have an ‘80s Tissot piece that is quiet and robust with 2824-2 COSC (got it on clearance!) and a ‘90s Hamilton carré with a 2892-A2 movement, very dressy and accurate. I have a Tissot heritage 1936 too, with a really cool hunter case and a 2892 movement. Keeps decent time and is fun to wear but is noisy. Last but not least is the Orient Star “Explorer” which I’ve had for a few years. Well made, reliable, very classic subtle dressy design. I’m quite happy with my sub $1k pieces, and I’d need an important reason to wear my “fancier” Swiss pieces as they are family heirlooms. Thanks again Mike. Cheers!
Thanks for finally reaching down to my price range! Here are some options you didn’t mention: Small North American watch brands are starting to produce very good watches in the sub-$1K range. I own a Vaer C3 quartz field watch and their D5 automatic diver. Both have stood the test of time. Both are assembled in the USA using Japanese movements. Along with Marathon and CWC, I recommend SANGIN and Momentum. Admittedly, both are quartz (and/or solar quartz), but they are solid, reliable and no nonsense watches. Finally, I own a Davosa quartz watch with a Swiss Ronda quartz movement. A well made watch from a brand that has been around for over a century. As a cheapskate and a guy who wears watches as tools, these are my long term survivors. Of course my Timex Ironman should also be in the mix, but it is a specialty sports watch. Cheers, JR old warrior, even older novelist
I have their A5 as my daily driver and it's been incredibly reliable. It's got a nice heft to it so I know it can keep up with me but at the same time, its shape practically disappears on my wrist and I've fallen asleep with it on several times. My main goal in getting this watch was something American made and Vaer really knocked it out of the park here. they also restocked their C5 Ameriquartz, so that's gonna be on my radar for quite some time.
1. Citizen Tsuyosa (& small seconds) under $500 2. Bulova Sutton 96A268 under $400 3. Citizen Zenshin *super titanium* （white dial is my personal fave) under $500 The above are all powered by Miyota automatic movements. 4. Raymond Weil Toccata 5425-STC-00300 LLAP 🖖
An excellent summary, save one thing: you did not mention the differences in the ownership experience between your four categories. Having something like Conglomerate factory service available -- i've used Citizen, Seiko, Tissot, Rado and Orient in the past 30 years -- is a *major* benefit if you want your watch to last more than five or seven years. Regarding my own journey: I'm 70 and, after a decade of Casio running watches in the 1980s, i went to a series of quartz Seiko and Citizen models for 25 years; since 2015 i've been into mechanicals. Firstly it was a couple of Swatch examples (Tissots and one Rado) but found their dials/cases less attractive than $200-300 AliX brands like San Martin and Cronos (half the price of gray market Tissots for the models i bought). The tradeoff is that i have to arrange service, which -- since i select ETA clone movements -- has so far worked out well. And, really, the cases and dials are indeed lovely in comparison. -- gary ray
Super video as usual. Impossible to cover this comprehensively. This feels like a video covering all bases to all viewers. In that respect I think it’s pretty definitive and accurate. For the watch enthusiasts it would be nice to get a more in depth take on your favourites in the independent arena. However this might just be me! Farer are about the best you can get for around £1k I think. I also like Traska a lot. Nodus and Direnzo are compelling. Ahh too many Keep em coming Mike. Thanks
I like watch movements. If anyone is interested, the Tissot 1938 and MIDO All-Dial are both kind of dressy, COSC chronometers for well under 1000 USD. Tisell offers a traveller GMT (Miyota 9075) diver for 300 USD.
Murph as you said. G shock. Citizen. Second hand longines. Hamilton cocktail time. Lorier, ventus, maen for micros. Rado look good, accurist have risen again with good looking designs. Boss, armani, viv Westwood for fashion oh and Gucci aswell. Certina for conglomerates. Raymond weil, Fred constant. There are tons thank god.
I recently picked up a Traska Venturer GMT and I am absolutely stunned by the value proposition for around $700. The watch uses the Miyota 9075 travelers GMT movement and is surprisingly thin at around 12 mm. I love the microadjustable bracelet. While i admit its not the most refined method of adjustment it works great for my purposes. I love the 38.5 mm case size as well. I was on a trip to Edinburgh and a Tudor AD had just received their frst Black Bay 58 GMT. I tried it on thinking I might just buy it right then. But after comparing it with the Traska it just didnt excite me the way I thought so i passed. I own some higher end pieces in the $8k range but the Traska still outs a big smile on my face when i wear it and thats ultimately the only thing that matters.
More great insight with a balanced and well reasoned approach. I have a Tissot V8 Chrono which is very good and reliable, and am looking to get the Bulova Lunar Pilot as I like the style, the history, and the high precision movement. I also have a vintage Tudor Date Day which is possibly my least accurate watch, which really highlights that the price bracket of this video, can offer a level of precision that is difficult to match spending several times the price. I also have some homage brands which are generally excellent on quality and accuracy. I also firmly believe you cant go far wrong with a Casio Duro MDV106.
Good morning from the UK. I love your channel and this video certainly speaks the language of my budgetary constraints. I have a 3 watch collection, all sub £200. 1. Citizen Eco-drive chronograph bought over 20 years ago and still looks good. 2. Orient Bambino which to my eyes is one of the best looking dress watches at any price. 3. Seiko Pilot/Aviator style which I wear on a couple of canvas straps. It has the 7S36C movement and honestly approaches COSC certified levels of accuracy. Thanks for a great channel.
The term 'focused' is very good point. I know this video isnt for the likes of rolex,but I think being focused is what helped them to be the success they are.And I'm talking purely about their watches. Regardless of price range,its a good strategy.
There really are so many cool pieces under $1000. The ADPT GMT springs to mind. Any/every Glycine, seiko 62mas reissue lineup, alpina regulator and the Timex Hodinkee (as long as it's under $150. It's cool but only at a certain price). Yes, I basically just rattled off my collection.
Zodiac regularly has fairly significant sales on their Super Sea Wolf line on clearance sites, and while a lot of them are fairly garish, some of their "limited" colorways are fun. Got a Whitecap for under 600 last year and no QA horror stories to report (yet)
Citizen EcoDrive Calibre 2100. I’ve two of these tanks. One is about 23 years old, the other a recent re-issue from one of 2100 pieces. What a specimen. My older one has never been opened, has literally traveled the world, and has never been given a care… keeps perfect time and all functions operate perfectly. Flyback chronograph, an analog alarm, and no batteries. It will still garner a compliment. Right around $1000 nowadays, and it’s worth every penny.
Another awesome video. I’ve become enamored with some microbrands. I just got my first Direnzo Eclipse and love it. Swiss made with Selitta Elabore movement. Outstanding quality. A hand written note from Sergio himself and a wonderful customer experience all for under 1k. Hard to beat IMO. Keep up the great work!
I have 4 CWC quartz watches, the G10, SBS Diver, RN Diver and the Sea Falcon. As a former soldier who was issued CWC watches, I absolutely love them. The only sub £1,000 automatic watch I own is a Seiko Cocktail Time "Blue Moon". I stuck it on a black leather strap and it's my go-to dress watch.
Great video! This is my typical price range. I own Certina DS Diver 300, Tissot PRX, Seiko SRPH59, and I love all of them. However, for my next purchase I heavily considered to buy San Martin SN0144 (which was shown in the video) because I like the model very much it gives me Grand Seiko vibes with this dial. And the price is excellent, it's around 320 euro. The watch has Miyota 9015 movement, sapphire crystal glass, beautiful deal, and relatively original design. At this price point up to 700-800 euro, I can't see a new watch that could come close in terms of look and specs.
Such a great perspective on the breadth of what is the sub $1k market! I personally loved closing with the Bulova Computron, talk about a throwback watch from a throwback brand - all in a good way. My favorite "bluesy" is the Orient Kamasu RA-AA0815L19B LE - there are a LOT of places where it just isn't safe to wear my Rolex bluesy, so I love this particular Orient watch. And a key difference - when I wear my Orient bluesy I am always asked what kind of watch is it, what brand... I've been asked that question in AD's for major brands. Frankly, very few people ask if my other bluesy is Rolex since, well, it is pretty obvious as a Rolex. The joy of watch ownership is when people ask about your watch and the opportunity to share a passion for watches, not just in wearing the watch, IMHO. Just sharing how a ~$350US watch can be a perfect watch in starting conversations, in safety while traveling, and in being a beautiful watch that has a lot of "feel good" feels!
I saw the Hanhart PIONEER Preventor HD12™ blue, 39 mm £901.13 reviewed on another watch channel. Blue or black dial centre seconds. Hardened 'Explorer-esq'steel bracelet. Company heritage since 1882. Beautiful simple watch currently sold out/waiting list.
Love my Bulova Lunar Pilot on my large wrist, I really like Casioak especially the metal/ half metal ones both in this price range. Thanks for the great video.
Great video as always Mike! With some fantastic insight and thoughts. Id love a video talking about buying grey/secondary. What do you look for, would look for and avoid.
Really appreciate your willingness to discuss more affordable watches, but I think a more realistic limit for affordability should have been $500, not $1,000. Casio (Duro, G Shock) and Citizen (Eco Drive) definitely should be mentioned.
The Erebus Origin lineup is great, but they really knocked it out of the park with the Ascent. San Martin plus quality with a great spec sheet and a design language specifically catering to Tudor/Sinn/AquaTerra/GS fans. You can also tell they really like Helm, and they're great people too who develop individual relationships with their customer base. In the sub $500 range.
It’s tricky: you tackle the way to get a good watch for less the a 1k, and the first thing to bear in mind is… brands. I wish there was (like in supermarkets) a white-brand market where you could focus on specs, and really see what you get for your money, without playing marketing games associated to the brand world.
I bought several Invicta’s & yes 99% are cheesy. I haven’t bought those. The models I bought are the dive based ones, all have the NH35 movements, & work great! Btw, I also have a vast collection of so called high end watches, also Casios, & many independent brands, along with the Chinese clomage models. Good coverage!👍🏼
I have a Vaer solar watch. It was less than $300 with a first responder discount. I’ve been really surprised at how nice it is. Durable, easy to wear, and genuinely looks really good. I’ve done construction with it, surfed in 48 degree water, even forgot to take it off and took it spearfishing to about 80 ft and it hasn’t had any issues. Plus the solar option is kind of neat.
I love my Mido Ocean Star Tribute. Comes with a strap option but the 11 link bracelet on it is beautiful with an on the fly micro adjust clasp. It is all polish but I wanted a diver with this look for summer nights out. MSRP is just over a thousand but you can find them for well under that on the secondary market. Thanks again Mike for your work in this space. I always look forward to your new videos.
I recently bought a Bulova 262 khz jet something. The second hand glides like a decent automatic. My absolute favorite feature. It also has a beautiful red dial. Kevin, the guy from shark tank liked this watch on his top 10 for under a thousand bucks. I payed 375 delivered from Jomashop. Lost is something in the high 500s. I love this watch.acurate as only a quartz can be .
The Seiko Speedtimers are an incredible deal. Solar movement, chronograph, sapphire glass, great proportions and all those are packaged in 39 mm case. I own the ssc937, a limited edition with light-blue dial. Just cant get it off my hand, and all for less than 700 dollars
I think there is a sub-category in here. I reckon it is roughly the under $200 USD mark. Some of them will be fashion brands and some will be replicas, but I saw another comment referring to Boderry - how they make a good looking titanium field watch with a Seiko NH35 movt currently for $97 is staggering! Regardless, this video has clearly shown through the comments where the critical mass of watch enthusiasts exist. It's not Rolex, AP, PP etc etc, I reckon this video is smack in the middle 80% of the bell curve for actually being able to afford watches. BUT, I still love seeing the high end and your analysis is always great, Mike.
Being into luxury watches greatly skewers perception. It's a kind of sickness really. I get these moments of realisation from time to time when talking to others. A relative of mine asked me about my Seiko diver today (SPB143) and when I said it wasn't particularly expensive, she just stared at me like I had 2 heads. It's easy to lose perspective.
The first video I encountered of you was talking about those watches at the sub $1000 category where you explained it is simply the most competitive price point in the market. Which is true by the way. There are so many good choices in this bracket (especially if you're not too concerned with reselling value).
I recently bought a Nordgreen Guardian with a Miyota Caliber 9039 movement. I love the Danish design and the phylosophy behind this watch. Was around 700 euros when introduced, but now available for 233 euros.
My daily is a blue Mido Ocean Star Tribute. Swatch group with P80 movement. good build quality and keeps excellent time, gaining 15s a week on average.
Seiko Presage cocktail time are superb value for the money, I use a victornox quartz as a work watch. 200m water resistance, sapphire cristal. Bomb proof! On a nato strap looks classy, for a work watch.
You mentioned the Khaki line from Hamilton, and that’s the Swatch group offering I chose from for myself with the Pilot Pioneer model. I used it when I got my private pilot certificate a few years back and it has always kept wonderful time. The Tissot Carson however is in my “would give away for free” pile as it consistently runs slow and the movement has the “hi tech” escapement that pretty much can’t be serviced. On the microbrand side I have an Islander that keeps time just as well as my Hamilton for a third of the price with its Seiko movement. The problem there is that sub-40mm offerings are uncommon or perpetually out of stock. As we know case diameter and lug to lug don’t tell you everything, but it’s more common than not that 40mm is approaching the limit of what I want on my wrist. Unfortunately, that makes it very difficult to find watches I find aesthetically (or technically) appealing without opening my wallet and shaking vigorously.
To me the conglomerates are definitely the way to go, particularly Seiko, Citizen, Tissot and Certina. Heavily discounted less popular/older models from higher tier brands (usually quartz of course) are worth looking out for and often available for well under £1000. Think Longines La Grand Classique, Rado Centrix, Raymond Weil Toccata etc.
I just ordered another Halios diver, in Pink. About $800. I've loved this brand for a long time. They have been of very high quality both in design, movements, and materials. Very limited models over many years and they have been fairly exclusive. Not sure now if they are as exclusive as in years past. In the past if you did not get in on the initial launch after 5 minutes on their website you were out of luck. Just ordered mine last week and I see that most colorways and options are still available. My thoughts are that many micro-brands have caught up to Halios (Traska, Baltic, Lornier, etc) making it harder for them to sell out as fast. But I still do love this brand. And I still believe that Rolex stole a page out of Halios's playbook when they came out with their colorful Oyster Perpetuals about 4 years ago! I mean come on. Tifany Blue/Patel Blue, Yellow/Bahama Yellow, Orange/Signal Orange? Don't believe? Google it.
I’ve had a couple of Fossil watches in my collection for many years. For anyone wanting a reliable quartz watch with a wide choice of designs, they’re not too bad. But my go-to bargains are the solar quartz divers from Seiko or Citizen.
One of the best sub 1000$ watches I own is the Glycine Airman Noon 1954 Reissue GL0377. It's got the looks, the heritage, killer movement with the SW330-2 and I got mine for around 600 USD.
Personally - and quite honestly, Jack Mason gets my vote. My dark night Strat-o-timer still costs $999, is "made by enthusiasts - for enthusiasts", has every spec I and, I dare say, we look for in a watch: sapphire front and back - including its bezel insert, a true GMT featuring a regulated Miyota 9075, hardness coating on its amazing, solid, seven link jubilee bracelet and case, on the fly adjust with quick release springbars. A tropic strap is also included; however, mine has remained on its jubilee (screwed links) which, tbh, easily rivals the crown's. I've owned many sub 1k watches and this one is very high quality and by far my favorite.
A timely video. I just bought a Seiko Presage Cocktail.I bought it through Teddy as a thank you for the videos. (Maybe you should market floral shirts. 😎) Alas I let the dark green seduce me away from the light blue. This makes the date illegible. Shrug. The silver numbers, leather strap, and open back are wonderful. My older Timex Easy Reader and weekender are still great but I wouldn’t buy new models
Christopher Ward’s Trident, Sealander or Dune are really great. Some of them are just above the limit, but they regularly offer discounts to get you below 10k. I personally own four CW watches and I will most likely get a fifth one soon.
Tuseno Shellback V2 using a SW200 movement -/+$650. Damasko DS30 just over $1000 also using a SW200 or ETA equal. Some Farer's come in just under $1000 using SW200 movements and nice interesting watch designs.
@@TasosS-k6t I got mine in Sept. ordered in last winter. Black Dial, it is very nice. Mine was running +20 seconds/day on my Timegrapher which is in specs for a un-regulated SW200. But too fast for me. So I took it to my local watchmaker and he got it running 3-4 seconds / day. Very Nice.
The Invicta Pro Diver Automatic is not a bad watch. Solid movement and execution. I particularly like the 1953 sub-category. But yes, most of their models are hideous. Some are okay; the advice to go small and simple is spot on.
The new Hanhart Preventor HD12 in 39mm can be had under 1000€ as well. It’s an amazing offering. The brand, the legacy, the quality. Hardened steel to 1200 vickers,co-designed by TGV from the Urban Gentry. It’s just an allround stunner and I had to get it immediatly. It totally fullfilled my expectations 😍
@ which ain’t a bad thing right? Criminally underrated brand especially regarding their historic significance concerning pilots chronographs. A watch like the Preventor HD12 from them was long overdue . It isn’t flawless but it’s a near perfect everyday piece punching way above its weight. I’ve been following your content for a while now and I think you d like the no nonsense high quality approach they took with it. I’ve owned Sinn watches before and they are always a bit “too German”, imho. Too sterile. The Hanhart somehow isn’t whilst still being over engineered and tough as nails 😁
My favourites in this range include the Seiko Alpinist 1959, Squale 1545 (best Swiss Diver under £1k in my opinion), CW C65 Dune, Hamilton Pilot Pioneer, and the Laco basic fliegers that you mentioned
I personally lean to the same brands and choices that you mention in this video. My choices are a Hamilton Khaki and the Baltic GMT. I own a khaki and i love it. Baltic GMT uses a Sophrod which is a pretty decent caliber and not so expensive for that price range
I have the Seiko Sumo Solar diver (Green) GMT - it's massive but for the money it has real presence and looks way more expensive than it actually is. Also, Casio Edifice and G_Shocks are God tier in my book and are all the watch you actually need! Come in great colours, 200 mt WR, Bluetooth and Tough solar... can't be beaten
LIV Watches are not mentioned as often. Their build quality is excellent for the price! Their designs are unique and appeal quite a bit to me- I have 6 of them, more than any other brand in my collection.
Thanks, really enjoyed listening, once again. Future topic wish: what about the estimated „spare and repair situation“ in 12 years time? Beyond the movement! What happens service-wise when an independent just disappears? Are fitting „aftermarket replacement“ parts for crowns etc. available, if one could live with a bit of a loss in originality after „an accident“? May be some micro brands are even better than basic models from the Swatch Group in terms of longtime service?
I got a RZE valour 38mm and an Undone GMT 40mm from Singapore and Hong Kong respectively. Both with titanium case and 100m wr. Excellent built quality with Seiko NH38 and NH34 movements
I would mention Casio Pro Trek and also Citizen Eco Drive as two brands that stand up well in the more "economical" area of the market. Seemingly very well built, very accurate and backed by suppliers if service or repair is required.
Nice video. I would say, if you shop around, there actually are some decent Ali Express watches. I picked up a 40 buck field watch recently for giggles (I wanted something for a specific strap, it was silly) and it was shockingly good. Allegedly an NH35 movement. Fit and finish was pretty decent. We'll see how it runs long term, but I'm 40 bucks happy
A great video and perhaps a path which can yield more videos down the line. It's great to listen to your views on the industry and certain watches, even though I know it's highly unlikely I'll ever have the money to put aside for them. Watching some more relatable content and advice is much appreciated and cool, especially as we're often reminded as watch nerds that we don't need to spend thousands on a good watch! I'm so glad you made the point about Studio Underdog, this grates with me too! They aren't the only microbrand guilty of this but they are the most prominent. It has twisted in to a preying business model and while they make sales from it I would take a good bet that a large proportion of each drop are bought up to be flipped well over the retail price. For me nothing turns me off a brand more than visiting their site to be greeted by empty shelves. As for a sub-1k watch I'm going to put forward my Doxa Sub 200 Caribbean. This is a Dive watch but whilst I could have gone for the whacky orange or zany teal tones I went with the Caribbean blue and it allows the watch to work on so many levels; with a classy leather strap for work or a smarter occasion, or more casual on a tan or included blue rubber strap. The movement is so smooth and as a little bonus I'm often complimented on the watch.
I snagged a Longines Hydroconquest 39mm for $965 from a local AD clearing out the brand. Full warranty and brand new.
What a steal. That watch will last a lifetime too
Nice
There are some cracking offers in the UK on longines
Hey brother that is the craziest thing ever. I wish I could find a deal like that.
I seen the conquest auto longines on eBay. For $675
I discovered your channel while scrolling the other day, and I’m really glad I stopped to watch. Your presentation is very calm, collected, and inviting. It feels as if you’re talking to a friend about a hobby we both enjoy. You have quickly become my favorite watch UA-camr!
That's until you realise he's hypnotised you into spending all your money on watches you must have in your collection! He could be secretly hired by the Swiss watch industry to sweet talk viewers
Thanks for watching - and yes. It's just a side gig. I have a job that pays the bills 😀
I love your content so much, no nonsense edits, no stupid intros. Straight to the topic, lots of information and whats most important is that your delivery is always great. I don’t know if it’s your voice, tone or mix of the two but it’s so easy to listen to you go on about watches.
Citizen for their eco-drive quartz watches. Great time-keeping, no batteries to change. Lots of designs to choose from.
I picked up a Certina dive watch and genuinely love it (Bit more than $1K as it is limited edition). There are a lot of great divers and other watches in their catalogue if you want to go the Swatch conglomerate route.
One flaw of Citizen for me is their sizing. They have hardly any sub 40mm watches available. I have a rather slim wrist, and I would love to see more watches around 38 mm.
Don't forget about their JDM models. The NB1050 and 1060 models are stunning. I think there's already a couple of videos saying the 1060-12L is their choice for best watch under $1000.
Eco drive for sure 😀
@@LanOrhan NY0040 Citizen wears small. The bezel is narrower than the case.
@@Mike.thiswatchthatwatch Citizen should bring back the discontinued Eco Drive BN000-04H. perfect size, it would probably be popular these days that people are again in smaller watches. It is much more wearable and appealing than the BN0150 series that came after. The Citizen ana digi JP series Aqualand is pretty nice too.
Also a fan of Glycine. I own a Combat Sub and it’s been fantastic.
Glycine is absolutely fantastic. Love mine and best bang for your buck Swiss watch.
have to chime in here for Glycine. They use Sellita movements at the best prices you'll ever find.
@@johncurtis6815 Glycine Combat Sub 39 (in Gilt).. great watch.
I love the price and thinness of the Combat Sub... sadly, not the design. 😢
I like the Citizen brand either mechanical or Eco-drive.
you're A.D.D. stopped You from finding Invicta Grand divers At 38 Millimeters❤ taing You😂
@ Don’t do Invicta.
Me too. I have an eco-drive, that I bought about 20 years ago and it runs perfectly. No battery to replace. Amazing.
@ That great it been lasting that long. I’m trying to get some of my watches into a Solar and Atomic time sync only.
I have Certina ds dive watch, black one with ceramic bezel, powermatic, 300m. Wearing it daily to outdoors on nano strap. For me they are indestructible, zero scratches and legible
i picked up a new Certina DS titanium for £620, absolutey love it.
Agree - Certina for sure 😀😀
I have a Certina DS4 I picked up at Jomashop on sale and absolutely love it. It's my daily GADA.
I just got a Hamilton Jazzmaster day/date black dial two days ago and am already in love with it. Sub $1,000, elegant dressy sport mid-century aesthetic were my search parameters and this checked every box as my new daily.
I certainly get the appeal of the Murph, but going that route, I'd rather spend a little more for a Hanhart with better specs and finishing.
My only "complaint" about the JM is the unavoidable butterfly clasp bracelet, but this one happened to fit me nicely. I'll likely get a leather strap in the future.
Great video once again, thank you!
Great watch you got. I got the Jazzmaster Viewmatic model and also love it.
@@craigkovach8475 I see value in that entire line, Viewmatic included. Can't believe it's not covered more in quality reviews, seems like a layup.
I have a 'regular' (?) 34mm ( small enough not to see the numbered bezel ( why?) Jazzmaster.
Where the bracelet links are polished amazes me for tye price- I got a decent discount.
Finally a South African perspective! Thank you champion!
My advice? Wait for the sales. Here in the UK, there are huge discounts on watches practically every couple of months. It’s pretty funny-there’s always a ‘Mid-Season Sale,’ ‘End of Season Sale,’ ‘Spring Sale,’ ‘Boxing Day,’ you name it! Discounts can go up to 40%, even on brands like Longines, Oris, and Baume & Mercier. Even Omega and IWC get price cuts at ADs sometimes. Honestly, it stings to see a watch you just bought go on sale right after, so I’ve learned to hold off and wait for those deals.
Yes. For sure
Recently popped into a H Samuel booth in our local shopping complex. Tried on a Citizen Fugu and was offered 100 quid off on the spot.
Great advice! I got an $850 Tissot for $350 and a $500 Seiko for $300 👍
you can find quite a few Mido offerings under 1k if you look around. IMO they are an over looked brand that offers great watches.
Agreed. Mido offers a lot for your $
They do tend to be a bit on the larger side though.
Too bad they're as bland as pea soup. I owned an ocean star, I believe, several years ago and got bored with it rather quickly. They are very high quality, though; fun fact: in some countries (I can't recall which ones, exactly), they're considered to be Rolex level luxury.
My Multifort Dual Time is beautifully finished with a true GMT moment that maintains chronometer-level accuracy, all for slightly over $1K.
Their big date tv is great.
The whole WISE line up... Miyota 90xx series, 904L SS, top notch finishing and by far the best lume in the game
Definitely agree. I have the Adamascus AD8 and absolutely love it. Incredible quality and their rubber straps are super comfortable. Very underrated brand. People most like haven't heard of it or don't look into it because they are from Thailand
Wise is unbelievably good and estheticaly pleasing. Since I got myself the Adamascus GMT, I’ve never worn any of my other watches, be it IWC, Breitling, Panerai, Blancpain or Rolex.
Of the watches I own, my favorite is the bronze AD8. Quality, looks, comfort.
Love my Hitman. Ss strap, black face and bezel, date at 3 o'clock.
Another great video Mike. I got my Traska for $720. Your description of a micro brand fits them to a T… A very focused catalogue with 4 watches, each with 4 dial options… they have refined each design over each production batch. They use Miyota movements. Their ‘thing’… hardening the stainless steel to 1200 HV on the Vickers scale effectively makes them unscratchable… Mail order only. I think some very nice, simple watches that are toolish but that you could get away with wearing with s suit.
Thanks for the reminder. I think that’s my next microbrand purchase
Great stuff@@gavinj01 I love mine, purchased the Venturer with a white dial... no regrets it's awesome.
@@Matt-vj8ouHave the same watch! Absolutely love it.
Been surprisingly impressed with some of the Timex reissues being put out recently
Timex make fun stuff 😀
I agree Mike. I do not understand buying fake watches with so many micro and macro brands offering decent watches within the $500.00-$800.00 dollar range. I'm going to cheat a little and mention Hanhart watches. They have models right above a grand that punch above their weight class. Anyway, your channel is growing because you are listening to your audience about topics they want covered. Good man!!
Thanks for agreeing on the fake thing. I can see it riled one or two people up, but I stand by it. Piracy is piracy. 😀
I don't wear watches, I'll never buy one, yet I love this channel and the passion that goes behind the watch enthusiasts. I love to learn about it and hopefully one day will become a more watch nerd than my rich friends who own expensive watches and probably don't know shit about them
It’s not the watch knowledge Olympics. Some industry grey beards in Geneva are always going to be the heavyweight ring kings. What I don’t know about watch design would fit in the Grand Canyon, and that’s fine. It’s a fun hobby and I just like the things. At the end of the day that’s what matters.
Cheers and thanks for watching 😀😀
porons always put down rich people and their choices. You wouldn't be a poron if you made the right choices so why cast aspirations on others to raise your self esteem. Editor's note: It doesn't work.
Mido ocean star tribute and Certina titanium 38 are my absolute favorites in the sub 1000 diver categories. I also have a seiko diver (of cource) for sub 350. Can never go wrong with these imo
Mido is the answer to the entry level luxury!
I have the Certina 38 titanium. The only downside is the lume.
The blue tribute is very nice. Just wish it didn’t have the stand out white day date
Tissot are hard to beat. You're getting a Swiss made watch from a good brand. The Gentleman is a very good "all rounder". I prefer Orient to Seiko (Orient Star if you can afford it).
I’ve been holding off for SO long on the Gentleman, only because what I really want is a DateJust.
I love Vario. Small Singaporean company. Excellent customer service. Watches are mostly sub $600USD for automatic and usually less for quartz. Japanese movements with decent specs. I have a Versa dual time with two independent quartz movements and an automatic Empire true GMT with art Deco dial with Miyota 9075 under $700. All watches are small batch and limited. Shipping is very quick.
Me too!
Thanks Mike. Great channel and as mentioned by many others your knowledge, opinions, and calm delivery are greatly greatly appreciated. I recently purchased several sub $1000 watches by Certina, rather than one Tudor, as I found the quality very good and the heritage designs distinctive and a good size for my 8 inch wrist. In the end I bought PH200M heritage, PH200M blue, PH500M STC, PH1000M STC, plus an Action Diver 43 in blue. Very happy with all and the decision made to dump the single Tudor.
The Tissot Visodate Heritage automatic day-date is a beautiful everyday watch. My brother bought me a white dial model for my birthday about 10 years ago, and it has been a great watch for me. Today I own MANY watches, but the Visodate has a special place in my heart because it's the first watch I ever owned ... an uncle gifted me one sometime in the mid-1960s for some occasion or other when I was about 7 years old. I don't know what happened to it, but I have loved wristwatches since that time.
Tons of options in this price range. Starting with well known brands like Casio, Orient, Citizen, Seiko, Tissot, Junghans and Bulova to some great microbrands like Zelos, Christopher Ward, Farer, Squale, Nivada Grenchen, Isotope, Unimatic, Direnzo, Boldr, Baltic, Circula, Furlan Marri, Henry Archer, Maen, Wise and more.
FoI’m nd out about Farer recently and really love their aesthetic.
One has to spend some time studying brands and their offerings to know what to get.
I give an example, for instance Glycine is inside a conglomerate. It's owned by Invicta. Now Invicta doesn't appeal to me. But Glycine does . Fortunately Invicta doesn't interfere with the models Glycine chooses to produce. Invicta gave Glycine the economic means they needed to survive. That was providential for this historic name didn't collapse.
In the long catalogue of Glycine there are very interesting propositions and historic watches as the Airman for instance. Well made watches with solid sellita or ETA movements and a lot of history, classic timepieces under 900 Euros.
This is an example of many. When one digs and starts looking there's plenty of options.
Fantastic episode Mike.
Thanks. Cheers.
This Feb I spent 675€ on a Longines Conquest VHP GMT. It is so good that I have to consciously rotate from my other watches to give them some wrist time. Excellent bracelet, beautiful finish, accuracy of 0/+5 seconds a YEAR! And the most practical GMT function - lets me switch travel and home time zones with 2 crown pushes. Yes, it is a Quartz but Quartz has its convenience and this watch is crisply accurate and a handsome piece that is ready to go with a Formal Shirt and on a T Shirt Jeans day too.
Hour Passion sells Conquest Automatic (with the Arrow shaped crown guards, discontinued) model for sub-1000: Brand New. And once one wears something of this quality, there is no going down. I stopped buying watches after my Longines cuz nothing is that good value in the sub-1000 range and cuz I am now waiting to spend straight on a Seamaster 300M.
Seiko Baby Alpinist is the bomb for those who want a field watch but without any additional compass. Also, there are a few Christopher Ward models that are sub-1k provided you pick the rubber/leather strap option
I am very happy with mine. It's a good "no frills" watch for outdoors when you do not want to wear a diver. But it has 200 meters water resistance anyways.
good choice 😀😀
I got a Steinhart Ocean One blue Rolex Submariner homage with a Selita SW300 elabore movement and a transparent caseback.
300m water resistant, the bracelet is extraordinary, the dial looks great, the bezel has almost no play and is super crisp. And it's been running at +3s/day.
Edit: $600 USD, Swiss made, German company
My gateway watch was a Stowa Marine Automatic, ten years ago. For a long time, it was the only watch I had. The collection is a bit bigger now but the Marine is still in the rotation and it keeps good time.
Great video, Mike!
There are so many sub-1000 models that I feel are bangs for the buck, but I'd say the following are my favorites:
1. Lorier: Astra, Neptune, and Falcon.
2. Dan Henry: 1937, 1945, and 1964.
3. The Laco Flieger model A.
4.The Tissot PRX.
5. Maen Manhatan 37.
6. Nodus Sector Sport.
7. Hamilton Khaki Field.
8. The Bulova Mil-ships.
9. The Casio Gshock stealth.
Laco Flieger would be my pick of your bunch 😀😀
Thank you Mike, your bias is very much appreciated. My Seiko JDM Alpinist blue was about $500 and is my daily wearer. It’s well designed, robust, and keeps decent time. I have the Marathon Navigator quartz, my Army Officer relative got that for me on-base for about $200 and I enjoy the tool qualities. Gallet make the Marathon pieces so you can’t go wrong. I have an ‘80s Tissot piece that is quiet and robust with 2824-2 COSC (got it on clearance!) and a ‘90s Hamilton carré with a 2892-A2 movement, very dressy and accurate. I have a Tissot heritage 1936 too, with a really cool hunter case and a 2892 movement. Keeps decent time and is fun to wear but is noisy. Last but not least is the Orient Star “Explorer” which I’ve had for a few years. Well made, reliable, very classic subtle dressy design. I’m quite happy with my sub $1k pieces, and I’d need an important reason to wear my “fancier” Swiss pieces as they are family heirlooms. Thanks again Mike. Cheers!
Thanks for finally reaching down to my price range! Here are some options you didn’t mention:
Small North American watch brands are starting to produce very good watches in the sub-$1K range.
I own a Vaer C3 quartz field watch and their D5 automatic diver. Both have stood the test of time. Both are assembled in the USA using Japanese movements.
Along with Marathon and CWC, I recommend SANGIN and Momentum. Admittedly, both are quartz (and/or solar quartz), but they are solid, reliable and no nonsense watches.
Finally, I own a Davosa quartz watch with a Swiss Ronda quartz movement. A well made watch from a brand that has been around for over a century.
As a cheapskate and a guy who wears watches as tools, these are my long term survivors. Of course my Timex Ironman should also be in the mix, but it is a specialty sports watch.
Cheers,
JR
old warrior, even older novelist
I have their A5 as my daily driver and it's been incredibly reliable. It's got a nice heft to it so I know it can keep up with me but at the same time, its shape practically disappears on my wrist and I've fallen asleep with it on several times. My main goal in getting this watch was something American made and Vaer really knocked it out of the park here. they also restocked their C5 Ameriquartz, so that's gonna be on my radar for quite some time.
HAven't had hands on with Vaer yet. Interesting to hear that you like them 😀😀😀
My first watch was a junghans max bill quartz. Great everyday watch that can be had under 1000. Very versatile and kicked off my watch addiction.
I have a Junghans form c which I got for about $840. CAD and I love this watch.
1. Citizen Tsuyosa (& small seconds) under $500
2. Bulova Sutton 96A268 under $400
3. Citizen Zenshin *super titanium* （white dial is my personal fave) under $500
The above are all powered by Miyota automatic movements.
4. Raymond Weil Toccata 5425-STC-00300
LLAP 🖖
Thanks for this. I’m really liking what Kuoe, Henry Archer and Wise are doing. 🤩
second this opinion, and this thirst of microbrands start from Zelos NH35
I could listen to you all day. You have something so few people talking on camera have.
Kind of you, thanks 😀
Picked up a CW Trident 300 with steel bracelet earlier in the year and I'm completely in love. Loving this channel too!
Glad to hear it 😀😀😀
An excellent summary, save one thing: you did not mention the differences in the ownership experience between your four categories. Having something like Conglomerate factory service available -- i've used Citizen, Seiko, Tissot, Rado and Orient in the past 30 years -- is a *major* benefit if you want your watch to last more than five or seven years.
Regarding my own journey: I'm 70 and, after a decade of Casio running watches in the 1980s, i went to a series of quartz Seiko and Citizen models for 25 years; since 2015 i've been into mechanicals. Firstly it was a couple of Swatch examples (Tissots and one Rado) but found their dials/cases less attractive than $200-300 AliX brands like San Martin and Cronos (half the price of gray market Tissots for the models i bought). The tradeoff is that i have to arrange service, which -- since i select ETA clone movements -- has so far worked out well. And, really, the cases and dials are indeed lovely in comparison.
-- gary ray
Best watch channel on UA-cam so glad I found you you a big help 💯💯💯
Thanks for stopping by 😀
Super video as usual.
Impossible to cover this comprehensively.
This feels like a video covering all bases to all viewers. In that respect I think it’s pretty definitive and accurate.
For the watch enthusiasts it would be nice to get a more in depth take on your favourites in the independent arena. However this might just be me!
Farer are about the best you can get for around £1k I think. I also like Traska a lot. Nodus and Direnzo are compelling. Ahh too many
Keep em coming Mike.
Thanks
I like watch movements. If anyone is interested, the Tissot 1938 and MIDO All-Dial are both kind of dressy, COSC chronometers for well under 1000 USD. Tisell offers a traveller GMT (Miyota 9075) diver for 300 USD.
Murph as you said. G shock. Citizen. Second hand longines. Hamilton cocktail time. Lorier, ventus, maen for micros. Rado look good, accurist have risen again with good looking designs. Boss, armani, viv Westwood for fashion oh and Gucci aswell. Certina for conglomerates. Raymond weil, Fred constant. There are tons thank god.
I recently picked up a Traska Venturer GMT and I am absolutely stunned by the value proposition for around $700. The watch uses the Miyota 9075 travelers GMT movement and is surprisingly thin at around 12 mm. I love the microadjustable bracelet. While i admit its not the most refined method of adjustment it works great for my purposes. I love the 38.5 mm case size as well.
I was on a trip to Edinburgh and a Tudor AD had just received their frst Black Bay 58 GMT. I tried it on thinking I might just buy it right then. But after comparing it with the Traska it just didnt excite me the way I thought so i passed. I own some higher end pieces in the $8k range but the Traska still outs a big smile on my face when i wear it and thats ultimately the only thing that matters.
More great insight with a balanced and well reasoned approach.
I have a Tissot V8 Chrono which is very good and reliable, and am looking to get the Bulova Lunar Pilot as I like the style, the history, and the high precision movement. I also have a vintage Tudor Date Day which is possibly my least accurate watch, which really highlights that the price bracket of this video, can offer a level of precision that is difficult to match spending several times the price. I also have some homage brands which are generally excellent on quality and accuracy. I also firmly believe you cant go far wrong with a Casio Duro MDV106.
Good morning from the UK. I love your channel and this video certainly speaks the language of my budgetary constraints.
I have a 3 watch collection, all sub £200.
1. Citizen Eco-drive chronograph bought over 20 years ago and still looks good.
2. Orient Bambino which to my eyes is one of the best looking dress watches at any price.
3. Seiko Pilot/Aviator style which I wear on a couple of canvas straps. It has the 7S36C movement and honestly approaches COSC certified levels of accuracy.
Thanks for a great channel.
Good watches in that collection. Thanks for sharing 😀😀😀
The term 'focused' is very good point.
I know this video isnt for the likes of rolex,but I think being focused is what helped them to be the success they are.And I'm talking purely about their watches.
Regardless of price range,its a good strategy.
TWTW....U R killing it ! Can not wait until next week.
High praise - thanks a ton 😀
There really are so many cool pieces under $1000. The ADPT GMT springs to mind. Any/every Glycine, seiko 62mas reissue lineup, alpina regulator and the Timex Hodinkee (as long as it's under $150. It's cool but only at a certain price). Yes, I basically just rattled off my collection.
Zodiac regularly has fairly significant sales on their Super Sea Wolf line on clearance sites, and while a lot of them are fairly garish, some of their "limited" colorways are fun. Got a Whitecap for under 600 last year and no QA horror stories to report (yet)
Citizen EcoDrive Calibre 2100. I’ve two of these tanks. One is about 23 years old, the other a recent re-issue from one of 2100 pieces. What a specimen. My older one has never been opened, has literally traveled the world, and has never been given a care… keeps perfect time and all functions operate perfectly. Flyback chronograph, an analog alarm, and no batteries. It will still garner a compliment. Right around $1000 nowadays, and it’s worth every penny.
Another awesome video. I’ve become enamored with some microbrands. I just got my first Direnzo Eclipse and love it. Swiss made with Selitta Elabore movement. Outstanding quality. A hand written note from Sergio himself and a wonderful customer experience all for under 1k. Hard to beat IMO. Keep up the great work!
I have been thinking about Direnzo Eclipse - Nice to hear you like yours
@@richardlocke7264 Hey Richard. You will not be disappointed.
I have 4 CWC quartz watches, the G10, SBS Diver, RN Diver and the Sea Falcon. As a former soldier who was issued CWC watches, I absolutely love them.
The only sub £1,000 automatic watch I own is a Seiko Cocktail Time "Blue Moon". I stuck it on a black leather strap and it's my go-to dress watch.
Great video! This is my typical price range. I own Certina DS Diver 300, Tissot PRX, Seiko SRPH59, and I love all of them. However, for my next purchase I heavily considered to buy San Martin SN0144 (which was shown in the video) because I like the model very much it gives me Grand Seiko vibes with this dial. And the price is excellent, it's around 320 euro. The watch has Miyota 9015 movement, sapphire crystal glass, beautiful deal, and relatively original design. At this price point up to 700-800 euro, I can't see a new watch that could come close in terms of look and specs.
DS 300 would be my pick. Thanks for sharing 😀
Bulova has some cool stuff for sub $1000
Bulova’s vintage back catalog is amazing. I buy vintage Bulova’s all the time. Those 60’s and 70’s designs are phenomenal.
I picked up an A-15 on an Amazon sale and love it.
Computron for the win 😀😀
Such a great perspective on the breadth of what is the sub $1k market! I personally loved closing with the Bulova Computron, talk about a throwback watch from a throwback brand - all in a good way.
My favorite "bluesy" is the Orient Kamasu RA-AA0815L19B LE - there are a LOT of places where it just isn't safe to wear my Rolex bluesy, so I love this particular Orient watch. And a key difference - when I wear my Orient bluesy I am always asked what kind of watch is it, what brand... I've been asked that question in AD's for major brands. Frankly, very few people ask if my other bluesy is Rolex since, well, it is pretty obvious as a Rolex. The joy of watch ownership is when people ask about your watch and the opportunity to share a passion for watches, not just in wearing the watch, IMHO.
Just sharing how a ~$350US watch can be a perfect watch in starting conversations, in safety while traveling, and in being a beautiful watch that has a lot of "feel good" feels!
I saw the Hanhart PIONEER Preventor HD12™ blue, 39 mm
£901.13 reviewed on another watch channel. Blue or black dial centre seconds. Hardened 'Explorer-esq'steel bracelet. Company heritage since 1882. Beautiful simple watch currently sold out/waiting list.
It’s a fantastic watch and I’m on the waitlist for one in Latvia :)
That's a great watch
That was my pick as well , or the Preventor9 , in my opinion a beautiful and a well made watch ! Especially at this price range 🙂
Hanhart - Generally great. Didn't mention them because they more often go over 1K, but yes. Good watches for sure 😀😀
Love my Bulova Lunar Pilot on my large wrist, I really like Casioak especially the metal/ half metal ones both in this price range. Thanks for the great video.
Thanks for watching as always 😀
Great video as always Mike! With some fantastic insight and thoughts. Id love a video talking about buying grey/secondary. What do you look for, would look for and avoid.
I should add Certina in this list.
Shhhh
DS PH-1000
Really appreciate your willingness to discuss more affordable watches, but I think a more realistic limit for affordability should have been $500, not $1,000. Casio (Duro, G Shock) and Citizen (Eco Drive) definitely should be mentioned.
Just got a Bulova Jetstar. Enjoying it. $500 range.
Damasko has a good story and some models right at $1,000. I have enjoyed my DA37 for several years. Another good video.
The Erebus Origin lineup is great, but they really knocked it out of the park with the Ascent. San Martin plus quality with a great spec sheet and a design language specifically catering to Tudor/Sinn/AquaTerra/GS fans. You can also tell they really like Helm, and they're great people too who develop individual relationships with their customer base. In the sub $500 range.
It’s tricky: you tackle the way to get a good watch for less the a 1k, and the first thing to bear in mind is… brands. I wish there was (like in supermarkets) a white-brand market where you could focus on specs, and really see what you get for your money, without playing marketing games associated to the brand world.
I bought several Invicta’s & yes 99% are cheesy. I haven’t bought those. The models I bought are the dive based ones, all have the NH35 movements, & work great! Btw, I also have a vast collection of so called high end watches, also Casios, & many independent brands, along with the Chinese clomage models. Good coverage!👍🏼
I have a Vaer solar watch. It was less than $300 with a first responder discount. I’ve been really surprised at how nice it is. Durable, easy to wear, and genuinely looks really good. I’ve done construction with it, surfed in 48 degree water, even forgot to take it off and took it spearfishing to about 80 ft and it hasn’t had any issues. Plus the solar option is kind of neat.
More Vaer mentions. I have to get hands on soon to form an opinion 😀
I love my Mido Ocean Star Tribute. Comes with a strap option but the 11 link bracelet on it is beautiful with an on the fly micro adjust clasp. It is all polish but I wanted a diver with this look for summer nights out. MSRP is just over a thousand but you can find them for well under that on the secondary market. Thanks again Mike for your work in this space. I always look forward to your new videos.
Very honest and informative video. Love the tiers you placed watches under $1k.
I appreciate that 😀😀😀
I recently bought a Bulova 262 khz jet something. The second hand glides like a decent automatic. My absolute favorite feature. It also has a beautiful red dial.
Kevin, the guy from shark tank liked this watch on his top 10 for under a thousand bucks. I payed 375 delivered from Jomashop. Lost is something in the high 500s. I love this watch.acurate as only a quartz can be .
The Seiko Speedtimers are an incredible deal. Solar movement, chronograph, sapphire glass, great proportions and all those are packaged in 39 mm case. I own the ssc937, a limited edition with light-blue dial. Just cant get it off my hand, and all for less than 700 dollars
For under 1k I'd be looking for pre-owned Oris or Longines on the secondary market.
Pre-owned is underrated, IMO. Good choice...
TISSOT PR516 Quartz. Black dial. Lots of compliments all the time.
agree
I think there is a sub-category in here. I reckon it is roughly the under $200 USD mark. Some of them will be fashion brands and some will be replicas, but I saw another comment referring to Boderry - how they make a good looking titanium field watch with a Seiko NH35 movt currently for $97 is staggering!
Regardless, this video has clearly shown through the comments where the critical mass of watch enthusiasts exist. It's not Rolex, AP, PP etc etc, I reckon this video is smack in the middle 80% of the bell curve for actually being able to afford watches. BUT, I still love seeing the high end and your analysis is always great, Mike.
Being into luxury watches greatly skewers perception. It's a kind of sickness really. I get these moments of realisation from time to time when talking to others. A relative of mine asked me about my Seiko diver today (SPB143) and when I said it wasn't particularly expensive, she just stared at me like I had 2 heads.
It's easy to lose perspective.
The first video I encountered of you was talking about those watches at the sub $1000 category where you explained it is simply the most competitive price point in the market. Which is true by the way. There are so many good choices in this bracket (especially if you're not too concerned with reselling value).
Thanks for watching 😀😀
I recently bought a Nordgreen Guardian with a Miyota Caliber 9039 movement. I love the Danish design and the phylosophy behind this watch. Was around 700 euros when introduced, but now available for 233 euros.
Superb content as always! I’m a true fan of Lorier. Great components, design, and customer service.
My daily is a blue Mido Ocean Star Tribute. Swatch group with P80 movement. good build quality and keeps excellent time, gaining 15s a week on average.
The SN0144 you showed b roll of is stunning. At $300 shipped to the US, it's a no brainer.
Seiko Presage cocktail time are superb value for the money,
I use a victornox quartz as a work watch. 200m water resistance, sapphire cristal. Bomb proof! On a nato strap looks classy, for a work watch.
You mentioned the Khaki line from Hamilton, and that’s the Swatch group offering I chose from for myself with the Pilot Pioneer model. I used it when I got my private pilot certificate a few years back and it has always kept wonderful time. The Tissot Carson however is in my “would give away for free” pile as it consistently runs slow and the movement has the “hi tech” escapement that pretty much can’t be serviced.
On the microbrand side I have an Islander that keeps time just as well as my Hamilton for a third of the price with its Seiko movement. The problem there is that sub-40mm offerings are uncommon or perpetually out of stock. As we know case diameter and lug to lug don’t tell you everything, but it’s more common than not that 40mm is approaching the limit of what I want on my wrist. Unfortunately, that makes it very difficult to find watches I find aesthetically (or technically) appealing without opening my wallet and shaking vigorously.
I’m loving my Christopher Ward. Also, looking hard at Henry Archer and Dufrane. Thanks for another excellent & informative video.
To me the conglomerates are definitely the way to go, particularly Seiko, Citizen, Tissot and Certina. Heavily discounted less popular/older models from higher tier brands (usually quartz of course) are worth looking out for and often available for well under £1000. Think Longines La Grand Classique, Rado Centrix, Raymond Weil Toccata etc.
I just ordered another Halios diver, in Pink. About $800. I've loved this brand for a long time. They have been of very high quality both in design, movements, and materials. Very limited models over many years and they have been fairly exclusive. Not sure now if they are as exclusive as in years past. In the past if you did not get in on the initial launch after 5 minutes on their website you were out of luck. Just ordered mine last week and I see that most colorways and options are still available. My thoughts are that many micro-brands have caught up to Halios (Traska, Baltic, Lornier, etc) making it harder for them to sell out as fast. But I still do love this brand. And I still believe that Rolex stole a page out of Halios's playbook when they came out with their colorful Oyster Perpetuals about 4 years ago! I mean come on. Tifany Blue/Patel Blue, Yellow/Bahama Yellow, Orange/Signal Orange? Don't believe? Google it.
I’ve had a couple of Fossil watches in my collection for many years. For anyone wanting a reliable quartz watch with a wide choice of designs, they’re not too bad. But my go-to bargains are the solar quartz divers from Seiko or Citizen.
One of the best sub 1000$ watches I own is the Glycine Airman Noon 1954 Reissue GL0377. It's got the looks, the heritage, killer movement with the SW330-2 and I got mine for around 600 USD.
Personally - and quite honestly, Jack Mason gets my vote. My dark night Strat-o-timer still costs $999, is "made by enthusiasts - for enthusiasts", has every spec I and, I dare say, we look for in a watch: sapphire front and back - including its bezel insert, a true GMT featuring a regulated Miyota 9075, hardness coating on its amazing, solid, seven link jubilee bracelet and case, on the fly adjust with quick release springbars. A tropic strap is also included; however, mine has remained on its jubilee (screwed links) which, tbh, easily rivals the crown's. I've owned many sub 1k watches and this one is very high quality and by far my favorite.
A timely video. I just bought a Seiko Presage Cocktail.I bought it through Teddy as a thank you for the videos. (Maybe you should market floral shirts. 😎) Alas I let the dark green seduce me away from the light blue. This makes the date illegible. Shrug. The silver numbers, leather strap, and open back are wonderful. My older Timex Easy Reader and weekender are still great but I wouldn’t buy new models
Christopher Ward’s Trident, Sealander or Dune are really great. Some of them are just above the limit, but they regularly offer discounts to get you below 10k. I personally own four CW watches and I will most likely get a fifth one soon.
Tuseno Shellback V2 using a SW200 movement -/+$650. Damasko DS30 just over $1000 also using a SW200 or ETA equal. Some Farer's come in just under $1000 using SW200 movements and nice interesting watch designs.
I pulled the trigger a few weeks ago on the Tuseno Shellback V2 blue, know we wait :) My first microbrand purchase.
@@TasosS-k6t I got mine in Sept. ordered in last winter. Black Dial, it is very nice. Mine was running +20 seconds/day on my Timegrapher which is in specs for a un-regulated SW200. But too fast for me. So I took it to my local watchmaker and he got it running 3-4 seconds / day. Very Nice.
The Invicta Pro Diver Automatic is not a bad watch. Solid movement and execution. I particularly like the 1953 sub-category. But yes, most of their models are hideous. Some are okay; the advice to go small and simple is spot on.
The new Hanhart Preventor HD12 in 39mm can be had under 1000€ as well. It’s an amazing offering. The brand, the legacy, the quality. Hardened steel to 1200 vickers,co-designed by TGV from the Urban Gentry. It’s just an allround stunner and I had to get it immediatly. It totally fullfilled my expectations 😍
Another Hanhart mention. The Hanhart crowd has been here in numbers this time 😀😀👍
@ which ain’t a bad thing right? Criminally underrated brand especially regarding their historic significance concerning pilots chronographs. A watch like the Preventor HD12 from them was long overdue .
It isn’t flawless but it’s a near perfect everyday piece punching way above its weight. I’ve been following your content for a while now and I think you d like the no nonsense high quality approach they took with it.
I’ve owned Sinn watches before and they are always a bit “too German”, imho. Too sterile. The Hanhart somehow isn’t whilst still being over engineered and tough as nails 😁
I just bought the Glycine Sea Kracken, wonderful quality and retro vibe dive watch for around $700. I love how it looks - don’t want to take it off!
My favourites in this range include the Seiko Alpinist 1959, Squale 1545 (best Swiss Diver under £1k in my opinion), CW C65 Dune, Hamilton Pilot Pioneer, and the Laco basic fliegers that you mentioned
I personally lean to the same brands and choices that you mention in this video. My choices are a Hamilton Khaki and the Baltic GMT. I own a khaki and i love it. Baltic GMT uses a Sophrod which is a pretty decent caliber and not so expensive for that price range
I have the Seiko Sumo Solar diver (Green) GMT - it's massive but for the money it has real presence and looks way more expensive than it actually is. Also, Casio Edifice and G_Shocks are God tier in my book and are all the watch you actually need! Come in great colours, 200 mt WR, Bluetooth and Tough solar... can't be beaten
LIV Watches are not mentioned as often. Their build quality is excellent for the price! Their designs are unique and appeal quite a bit to me- I have 6 of them, more than any other brand in my collection.
Thanks, really enjoyed listening, once again.
Future topic wish: what about the estimated „spare and repair situation“ in 12 years time?
Beyond the movement! What happens service-wise when an independent just disappears?
Are fitting „aftermarket replacement“ parts for crowns etc. available,
if one could live with a bit of a loss in originality after „an accident“?
May be some micro brands are even better than basic models from the Swatch Group
in terms of longtime service?
One brand that is always overlooked in this range is Mido. I picked up an OceanStar for $900 a couple years ago and it is great value for money.
true
I got a RZE valour 38mm and an Undone GMT 40mm from Singapore and Hong Kong respectively. Both with titanium case and 100m wr. Excellent built quality with Seiko NH38 and NH34 movements
I would mention Casio Pro Trek and also Citizen Eco Drive as two brands that stand up well in the more "economical" area of the market. Seemingly very well built, very accurate and backed by suppliers if service or repair is required.
Nice video. I would say, if you shop around, there actually are some decent Ali Express watches. I picked up a 40 buck field watch recently for giggles (I wanted something for a specific strap, it was silly) and it was shockingly good. Allegedly an NH35 movement. Fit and finish was pretty decent. We'll see how it runs long term, but I'm 40 bucks happy
A great video and perhaps a path which can yield more videos down the line. It's great to listen to your views on the industry and certain watches, even though I know it's highly unlikely I'll ever have the money to put aside for them. Watching some more relatable content and advice is much appreciated and cool, especially as we're often reminded as watch nerds that we don't need to spend thousands on a good watch!
I'm so glad you made the point about Studio Underdog, this grates with me too! They aren't the only microbrand guilty of this but they are the most prominent. It has twisted in to a preying business model and while they make sales from it I would take a good bet that a large proportion of each drop are bought up to be flipped well over the retail price. For me nothing turns me off a brand more than visiting their site to be greeted by empty shelves.
As for a sub-1k watch I'm going to put forward my Doxa Sub 200 Caribbean. This is a Dive watch but whilst I could have gone for the whacky orange or zany teal tones I went with the Caribbean blue and it allows the watch to work on so many levels; with a classy leather strap for work or a smarter occasion, or more casual on a tan or included blue rubber strap. The movement is so smooth and as a little bonus I'm often complimented on the watch.